Ecclesia et Civitas

The Question for Our Age: “Quo Vadis?”

August 8, 2013 James Kalb 0

Secular liberalism is at odds with Catholicism. The point seemed obvious to most people until the postwar period, when the thought took hold that an essentially harmonious relationship could be established that would draw on […]

Two nuns walks past banners that read '14N
Ecclesia et Civitas

Religion, Liberalism, and Worldly Success

July 10, 2013 James Kalb 0

Why does it seem that orderly, prosperous, and well-run societies are usually less religious, but the less religious a society becomes the more disorderly it gets? The situation is complex, it’s hard to do comparisons, […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

The Idea of a Catholic Society

June 3, 2013 James Kalb 0

At the close of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI noted that the Council had displayed an unparalleled desire “to know, to draw near to, to understand, to penetrate, serve and evangelize the society in which she […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

What Are Catholics To Do? (Part III)

May 3, 2013 James Kalb 0

Last month, I suggested that the most important thing for Catholics to do politically is to present, argue for, and act on the Catholic understanding of human life. We are defined by our faith, which […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

What Are Catholics To Do? (Part II)

April 11, 2013 James Kalb 0

Last month I noted that Catholics need settings in which they can lead a Catholic life among Catholics. For most of us, loving God and living as Christians take schooling and support, which we aren’t […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

What Are Catholics To Do?

March 7, 2013 James Kalb 0

The world goes its own way without much regard for the Church, because it has very little regard for truth—that is to say, for reality. The problems go to the roots of current ways of […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

The Church and the Constitution

February 8, 2013 James Kalb 0

American political institutions give us all part of the responsibility for how we are governed. Catholics need to carry out that responsibility in accordance with their best understanding of man, society, and American political life. […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

Tardy Reflections on the Election

January 9, 2013 James Kalb 0

A great many things might have changed the results in November. Hurricane Sandy might have headed into the Atlantic instead of the Atlantic states. Or moods might have shifted, so that memes like “the war […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

Turning the Corner

December 6, 2012 James Kalb 0

In the last several months I’ve been discussing the problems Catholics face dealing with public life today. The recent election underlined some of them. The bishops and others made their pitch about threats to the […]

Ecclesia et Civitas

An Undemocratic Future?

November 15, 2012 James Kalb 0

Democracy means “rule by the people,” but today that seems an increasingly distant ideal. We live in a diverse country of 310 million people with a government responsible for a huge range of domestic and […]